Conn. prisoner wins jury verdict over mattress

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — An attorney for a Connecticut prisoner says he has won a $12,000 verdict by a jury that found his right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment was violated after the prison failed to replace a defective mattress.

The federal jury in Hartford awarded the damages Friday to Harold Bell, who is serving a 12-year prison sentence for first-degree assault.

His attorney, Antonio Ponvert III, says the verdict is a rare victory for a prisoner. He says it took about seven months for the prison to replace the mattress, which he says smelled of mildew and was missing much of its stuffing.